Sludging wheel



*1 minor A.fCI-IASE, on nonri-irrnnnpvunmon'r; 1; 5

I sLUneING WH EIQ IT his invention} relates -,to"a wheel for use fin polishing granite and similar material I and particularlytofauwheel for use in the {intermediate orlso-called s luglging'operation. In my improved processofpolishi'ng granite, the finished :surface is produced'by three distinct or. successive operations, namely coarsegrinding, sludging or fining-up, andbufling.

My present invention relates to improved features of construction in a wheel of the i ring type adapted to perform the intermediate fine grinding or sludging operation to great advantage.

It is my general obj ectto provide a wheel in which vibration is reduced to a minimum and in which theaction of the grinding material quickly produces a surface unusually well prepared for the final or buffing operation. I i With this general object in view myinvention relates specifically to certain details of construction and arrangements of parts which will be hereinafter described and more particularly pointed .out in the ap pended claims A preferred form of the invention is shown in the drawings,,in which-- i Fig 1 is a partial plan view of my improved sludging wheel;

Fig.2 is a sectional elevation taken substantially along the line in Fig. 1, and

' Rig. 3 is a partial plan view showing approveddriving connections for the wheel.

Referring to the drawings, I have shown a wheel of the ring type, comprising a plurality of concentric metal rings 10 spaced apart and also spaced from the axis of the wheel, as clearly shown in Fig. .2. The rings 10 are connected by fouror more radial. arms 11, equally spaced about the periphery of the wheel and provided in sufficient num-' bers to firmly support the rings whenever any portion of the wheel edge. of the stone. I 7 One of'the rings 12 n1'ay be increased in thicknessas shown in Fig. '2, to provide a circular rib 13 connecting thearms' 11; A driving head 1% is provided with arms'15 which are preferably secured to the ring wheel by bolts or screws 16 at the points wherethe arms 11 intersect the rib 13. In-

tel-mediate wheel arms 17 may be provided,-

as indicated in Fig. 1, between the points at which the arms 15 are attached.

The arms 15 are preferably of such crosspasses beyond the lsection are'latively sharp e presented attheforwardfsidefoffeach' arm when the wheel is'injoperation, the under face of Ieacl' arm"beingv downwardly and .rearw'ardly'inclined from the leading edge. 'T his facilitates the feeding 'of abrasive ma;

terial to the central opening lglwithinithe inner ring-and avoids scattering and waste of the material,

An important fifeature." of my invention I relates to the provision of blocks 18 of 011811, ion material between the driving arms 15 These blocks reduce and'the ring wheel. vibration and thus contribute to the smooth running'of the wheel.

7 he driving head' 14. is provided "with notches or recesses 20, (Fig; 2) to receive the ends of a cross pin 21 secured by a universal,

connection 22 to the end of a driving shaft 23. Each notch 20 has an abrupt driving face on one side and a rearwardly inclined face on the opposite side, thus making it easy to. insert the cross pin in the notches for driving the wheel or to release the pin from the Wheel Whena change in wheel is desired.

Having thus'described the construction of myimproved sludging wheel, the method of operation and. advantages thereof will now be indicated. This type of wheel is particularly designed for sludging or fining-up relatively small blocksfof stone and is consequently made in such sizes that the wheels can be readily changed for the different steps of the finishing operation. Thejwheel being placed upon the block, the driving shaft 23' islowered until the cross pin 21 engages the notches 20 to rotate the wheel. i

The abrasive material is preferably'fed';

through the central opening lQand a fine stream of water is also commonly directed 7 against the work atthis point, the rate of flow being carefullycontr'olled. It is found that the cushion blocks 18'largely eliminate i V vibration of the wheel and that the increased stiffness of the wheel, .due to the provision of the-equally spaced arms 11' and 17, also materially assists in preventing vibration. This reduction of vibration prevents the forming of rings onthe work by irregular contact of the wheeltherewith and'also permits the wheel to run beyond the edges of the block of stone without .forming'scratches" or rings at the point where the wheel returns to the stone. 7 c

Having thus describedmy'inventi-on and the advantages thereof, I do not wishto be.

inf)" .I 1 in r ng, ccnnectedjo; said circular rib at a limited to the details, herein disclosed other- Wise than as set forth in the claims, but What I claim is 1. A sludging wheel comprisinga plurality of Concentric rings, radial arms c0nnecting said rings, a circular rib integral with one of said'rlngs and ccnnectedto said arms and substantially spaced outwardly from theinnegends of said arrn s and from the v V inner; and said rib passing above and be ng ured -tq all Oisa d arms a nd dr1vineans said ,Whfeel including a drivpoints, a drivingirin'g for said Wheel, means to secure said ring to said arms", and separate cushion devices interposed between said head and said arms at each point of attachment thereof. a

3. A sludging heel comprising a plurality of concentric rings, radial arms connecting said rings at a plurality of points, a driving head, and means to ccI nect said driving headto certain 0t said radial arms, said arms havingrtheir fcrvvardly directed pgrtions fornied in relatively sharp edges to ra ilitate the feed of abrasive between said rings. a i a testn cn'y whereof I have hereunto afiixed my signature. I

E R Y. A. (iii-ASE. 

